Cat Eyes
by willowfaust
Summary: This story has been adopted from Darkdefender89. Bella has a secret too. She's a were-cat. The problem? Edward doesn't know it.
1. Introduction

**Cat Eye**

**Summary:** So, as it turns out, Bella has a secret too. She's a were-cat. The problem? Edward doesn't know it. What happens when Edward is hunting and sees a black panther-like cat?

(Takes place before Bella finds out Edward's secret.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. I don't own the were-cats. Rachel Vincent does. The were-cat characters come from the Shifter Series. I promise that one day I will go out and buy a copy of the whole series and read it.

A/n: I have started reading the first of Rachel Vincent's books. For that I'm sorry. I will be making amends soon. Having not read all of her things, I can only guess as to what is actually written about the were-cats and some of the subjects mentioned in this story. I'm going use the information that is already given and build around it. The story is good and it begged to be finished. I just hope you don't get too mad at what I do to it later. This story has been adopted from Darkdefender89. Thank you.

**1.**

**_Bella_**

Forks, Washington. It was one of the only free territories left on this side of North America. And I am Bella Swan. I was one of the last remaining female were-cats of my clan. My real parent had died in a fire. The Sanders had taken me in as one of their own. They had raised me up as one of their own children. I often thought them as my mother and father.

I had thrust myself into a world that I had expected to be simpler then the complicated world that I was so used to living in every day. My adopted father is not only the alpha of the Pride, but was also the head of the Territorial Council. He wanted me to marry soon after high school. Father wanted me to marry Jace, one of his enforcers, but arranged marriage is _so _not this century. When the time comes, I will pick someone. For me.

Now I was evading my duty. I guess I had other ideas. So the Pride let me move, under one condition – I had to live with my older cousin, Charlie, a wildcat. So here I am a junior at Forks High school now.

You see, there are only three rules for our kind. All punishable by death. One, to infect a human and thus creating a stray. Two, revealing the existence of were-cats to a human. Three, killing a human. I had no plans of doing any of the above.

Now, I find myself, sitting in the high school cafeteria. I was people watching. It was better than interacting with them. Jessica was more than happy to tell me everything about anyone as they would pass by the table that she had dragged me to at lunch. Nice enough girl. A little on the two-faced side.

Today, I was the center of attention. It didn't suck. It bites. I hate it. This is something that is ingrained at an early age. It's part of how my kind is taught to stay away from detection. To hide in plain sight, never really seen by the human world.

As Jessica was dishing dirt out about different people that passed by us, I realized how much I wasn't paying attention.

The first time I saw Edward Cullen was in the cafeteria. I could feel his golden eyes piercing my own. That was normal; everyone stared at the new girl. He was staring at me. I shifted in my seat, ignoring the words of the young humans I was sitting with. What I saw was the most brilliant, beautiful boy I had ever seen. Even then, I was dazzled. He had scruffy with bronze colored hair and the most amazing golden hazel eyes. His skin was as white as untainted snow. He was slim, but clearly muscular.

At the time, I ignored the fact that his scent was neither human nor were-cat. Everything about him fascinated me. It turned out that he was in my biology class, too. His distant, antisocial behavior alarmed me, but it did not faze me. His body was rigid and his hands were curled up into fists. If anything, it drew me in. I needed to know more. I know I ran away (kind of) from the family ranch to escape the paranormal, but all at once none of that mattered one bit.

I tried to introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan," I said. Whatever was up with his scent – which I noticed, as I mentioned earlier, was not normal. I wondered if he sensed anything different about my scent too. No matter, whatever he was, whatever I was….it didn't matter. Maybe he would pass it off as nothing. Hopefully, at least. I don't know _what_ Father would do if he found out that someone who isn't a wire-cat knew the family secret.

"Edward Cullen," he said.

So, that was the first time we met.

_Jasper_

_"_Alice," I was trying to get my wife's attention. I knew that look on her face. She was having a vision. We were standing by Edward's Volvo when this happen. Maybe we would get lucky and there was a reason to stay home today. I saw the corner of Edward's lip twitch in amusement at this thought. I looked over at him hoping I was right. Edward shook his head to say 'no'.

Alright, what happen?

Edward looked down at Alice for a moment. He frowned. That was normal for Edward. He didn't seem alarmed about anything. More like confused, no that wasn't right. Puzzled. Yes there is a difference.

"What do you mean she smells good?" Edward asked her. Now he was confused. He was leaning against the open door of his car, looking at Alice from across the roof of the car. Alice was unruffled.

One had to be patience with the two vampire siblings. They were 'talking' now. In another life they must have been twins. They weren't really brother and sister. None of us were. It was normal for coven-mates to think of each other as siblings unless they were a mated pair. But Alice and Edward had a true bond of sibling hood, just not in blood ties.

Alice couldn't remember her human life, so she set out to build one in this life. She had joked on more than once that she designed the prefect family. She is still laughing about it to this day. She literal hands pick her family. The perfect doctor for a dad. The idyllic, most loving mother she could hope for. She loved Emmett and Rosalie with all her heart, but Edward was the one she sympathized with the most, by all accounts he was her brother.

The three of us were of tighter knit than the rest of the family, because of our gifts. Between me the empath, Alice the seer, and Edward being telepathic; the three of us held the family secrets. There was no such thing.

I gave the two a second for them to figure out what Alice had seen. Unfortunately, her visions were subject to change. Then at other times, too vague. From the look on both of their face I was guessing the later one.

Rose cleared her throat. That seem to snap the 'twins' out of their shock. Without saying a word to anyone, Alice and Edward climb into the front seats. Both gave off a strange air of confusion mixed with a touch of curiosity.

"Spill it Edward," Rose hissed from the back seat next to me. Her temper was flaring. It felt like I was sitting next to a hot poker.

"I'm not sure," Alice answered for Edward. The hot poker became an open flame next to me. I let out a sharp hiss. Then I pushed a thick layer of calm at Rose. For a second this seems to only piss her off more. Emmett pulled her closer to his chest. Not calmer, but more in control.

From there Alice went on. "It's kinda like an old analog T.V." She paused in thought and then shook her head "I can't get good, clear picture. Everything is fuzzy and washed out, except for Edward." That last part was said very quietly to herself.

_"Never mind," Rose gave up with a huff. It wasn't about her, why should she care?_

**_Edward_**

This is where the vision had taken place. Jessica was very busy giving out gossip and other filth out about the different people that were passing by her and the new girl. I saw where Alice's vision had gone amuck.

This was the first time I saw Bella Swan. It was in the cafeteria. I could feel her rich brown eyes trailing me. I turn just enough to look her in the eye. This was the point in Alice's vision, which had washed out.

Normally, everyone stared at the new girl. She was staring at me. Sitting at the table that my family had claimed as ours, I could still feel her watching.

In the vision, after our eyes met and then everything became faded. All day I've been listening to the constant chatter that was rolling around about her. A good bit of it was done on a mental level. Do you know what the worst part of hearing voices in your head is? Knowing that you are still sane.

I shifted in my seat, ignoring the words of the humans that were in the room. She was as beautiful as her name implied. Bella's hair was the color of dark ground coffee and her eyes reminded me of milk chocolate. She was slim, petite, but still curved in all the right places. Her skin was almost as pale as mine but with a hint of a faint blushes under the skin. A piece of art.

For the most part we went about our lunch routine like normal. Meaning everyone was bore out of their damn mind. Believe me; I had to hear all about it.

When the bell rang, it wasn't soon enough. Three more classes to go. Jasper and I were planning on going hunting this afternoon. I couldn't wait to get out of here. Jasper nodded in agreement as we parted ways. He could feel how badly I wanted out of here. We were definitely on the same page.

Why do I keep smelling cat dander? Maybe someone nearby got a new pet. Ignore it. Don't worry about.

About that time, the school's newest fascination walked into my biology class. She gave the teacher her paperwork and took her assigned book. The teacher pointed at my table. It was the only one with an open seat. Humans are naturally wary of us. I don't blame them. I encourage it. I was having trouble finding her mental voice. Silence.

Then I was hit by the scent. I tried to ignore. It was human, but more. It smelled way too rich for her own good. She was watching me. And I had no idea what was going on in her head. Everything about her troubled me. The urge to bite was getting stronger, too. I know I was being distant and antisocial. That didn't seem to faze her. It made it worst.

Human, she smelled human, but what else? I put my body on lock-down. There was too many witness. I could feel my hands were curling into fists. I still couldn't hear her, this made even worst. If anything, it drew me in. I needed to know more. It was probably the only reason I hadn't killed her yet. I couldn't think. My mind was clouded. Some small and distant part of me had the lucidness to compare it to being on some bad high or intoxication. I had touched the minds of many humans over the years that like to drink, smoke and other things. This is what being near her felt like. Then, all at once, none of that mattered one bit.

She tried to introduce herself. "Hi... I'm Bella Swan," she said. She had very soft voice. I could hear the blood flowing just under her pale skin. The scent was instant insanity. My throat was on fire.

She was staring at me. What did she know? I didn't know that either. Whatever was up with her scent...Something animal? Something that I had trained myself to except as an okay food source. Not only did she smell human but also animal-like. The monster in me said that this was a win-win situation. I wondered if she sensed anything different. Something wrong about me. Please...Please run. Only part of me wants to kill. If you leave now...No I wanted her now!

"Edward Cullen," I said, setting my tongue on fire. I was so screwed.


	2. You won't find me kissing human

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. I don't own the were-cats. Rachel Vincent does. The were-cat characters come from the Shifter Series.

a/n: I have yet to read all of Rachel Vincent's books. For that I'm sorry. I will be making amends soon. I can only guess as to what is actually written about the were-cats and some of the subjects mentioned in this story. I'm going use the information that is already given and build around it. The story is good and it begged to be finished. This story has been adopted from Darkdefender89. Thank you.

A/n: I went ahead and combined chapters 2 and 3. Let me know what you think after you're done.

**Ch.2**

**_Bella_**

I said goodbye to Charlie that morning. Staying with him had been a breath of fresh air. He didn't pier very much. I got the impression that he understood my need for distances. He was still a part of the pride. But he lived outside the pride's territory. I hadn't given much thought as to why he had separated from the pride. I filed this question away for later.

Charlie was still very loyal to my father. I didn't think he was running away form he duties to the pride. I think it was more a matter of putting distance between his need for duty the need for a normal human life. Charlie would have made a good Enforcer. But he wanted something more. He wanted a human life. It wasn't my place to judge. I only know what I saw.

Is this what I was looking for? No, I don't think so. I may not want a normal human life, but I know there is something else, something more. I for one, liked the feel of fur.

Upon walking up to the 'thing' that Charlie had found for me to drive, I was little taken back. It was an ancient, use to be red, Chevy truck. I had to literal hop into my giant, faded red, Chevy truck. Charlie's heart had been in the right place. It was a gift from Charlie. His friend, Billy Black, was now wheel- chair bound. He had no need for the old truck now.

I caught myself as my mind wondered. So why am I really in Forks?

You do know what curiosity did to the cat right?

Yeah, I didn't listen either.

Well, a little over a year ago, my older sister, Faythe, defeated a bunch of jungle cats from the Amazon. Now, she is an Enforcer like Marc and the rest of the boys. She got off with a warning after she was finally able to prove the partial shift, thus confirming that infecting Andrew was a complete, unexpected accident. I was glad to be far away from all of that chaos, anyways.

I parked my rust bucket of a truck in the parking lot and slung my black leather backpack behind my shoulder and walked into Forks High school. A boy with spiky blonde hair, named Mike, walked up to me. "Hello, you want to hang out?" he asked. His face was an open book. I found myself wishing him on someone else.

I could tell what he was doing. No way was I going to allow myself to make the same mistake as Faythe. What if I ended up being able to do the whole partial shift thing? There was no way I was going to risk _that_ happening. I didn't think Mike wanted to be a were-cat. Besides, I was curious about that Cullen boy…Edward, is it? And, yes, I know what curiosity did to the cat.

"Not really," I mumbled.

"Why not? " Mike asked, pouting. He had a bit of a baby face. I felt kind of bad for hurting his feelings, but Mike was seriously an Andrew clone, albeit several years younger. Unfortunately, he's dead now. He tried to kill her (I know, funny how that worked out. But you would be enraged too, if your girlfriend turned you into a were-cat and you didn't know that it was an accident. And a psychotic jungle cat was the only one who comforted you during your change, constantly feeding you lies, turning you against human emotions, and all those you loved for that matter. Then she killed him in self-defense.

"It's complicated, Mike. I'm sorry, I really am," I said, sighing. I should have just given him a flat out "no". I realized afterwords, that might not have been the right thing to tell him. Hindsight is 20/20. It was normal human behavior to a young male and I was not up for a mistaken game of hard to get.

Hearing quick, faint footsteps behind me, and I spun around. Edward Cullen, bronze hair, golden eyes and all. He was lean and pale, but with well defined muscles hinting from under his black t-shirt.

Yesterday, he was acting so antisocial. I was determined to find out the reasons behind his cold actions. As I stared into his eyes, and his body went rigid. I could see the haunted look in his eyes. It looked like he was in pain. He turned quickly to move away, his left hand absently rubbing his throat. His eyes narrowed and then darken. Maybe he wasn't feeling so well.

Human eyes don't change like that. Right before my eyes they went from beautiful and unsual topaz to striking onyx. This gave him a feral look about. My inner cat purred.

Then he stormed into the front office. I realized that he was trying to transfer out of the biology class he had with me. Did he hate me that much? What did I do to him?

I was sweating. I was frustrated. My dark, wavy hair fell over my left eye and I stared at the tile floor, studying the archaic patterns, thinking about how messed up my life was. Humans had it too easy.

Right now I needed not to feel so human. I was feeling the human and the cat warring with one another. My cat needed her freedom. My skin was itching. I wanted to feel my bones stretch and flow. I wanted my skin to melt away to fur. How free it would feel, to run free with the wind….I had to find a place I could shift without any humans seeing me. My skin was starting to feel itchy. I missed it already. I craved the pain of transformation.

Edward stomped out of the front office, looking even more frustrated than before. Before, I felt angry that he hated me this much. Now, I felt guilty. What did I do?

It was like there was a rope tied between us. The pull was starting to become painful. Did he feel it? I knew he wasn't a true human. But what? Angel, demon, maybe a fey? Well…he looked like an angel, so beautiful, so perfect and….this was wrong, so freaking wrong….I knew that I couldn't make the same mistake as Faythe made, but I was haunted. I needed to look at him. I needed him. But he was human ( I think), and I was a were-cat….What the hell was wrong with me?

**_Edward_**

A personal demon was the perfect way to describe Bella Swan. I wanted to hate her. I really did. The damn girl smell too damn good. Good, as in delicious. Mouthwatering. Just passing the girl in the schools hallway was a torture test. To top it off, I couldn't read Bella's mind….which seriously frustrated me.

Carlisle called her my singer when I told him about this, but somehow, Alice convinced me to stay. I wasn't sure if Alice was telling the truth when she said everything would be okay. She was having a hard time seeing the girl. The only thing she was able to catch was snippet.

She was beautiful. I don't deserve anyone so beautiful. That thought immediately confused me. It was strange. Even when I wasn't in the same room with her, she still clouded my mind. Only Jasper and Alice knew how badly I was dealing with this. No secrets. Ever.

I was standing by the Volvo when I saw a clear vision of Bella. A terrible dark vision played across my mind. A dark blue van was sliding towards Bella, who was standing by her old red truck. The pavement was washed with blood.

_'Not her,'_ I thought and cringed. The vampire rule book was out the window. I didn't even think about it. It was the last thing on my mind. I was a blur out of the corner of someone's eye as I ran towards Bella. There was no place to go except down and under her old truck. She didn't even have time to do more than looked shocked when I popped out of nowhere and pulled her out of the deranged path of death.

Fleck of dust spiraled in the air when the van collided with the rear fender of the truck. It was like there was a fiery monster hiding out in a van with a human boy inside of it.

'_Not Bella_,' I thought, pulling her deeper into the shadows underneath her truck, away from the van. The van halted to a stop, leaving a big dent in the van and the truck.

"How did you do that?" Bella whispered. She tried to wiggle around to look me in the face but I held her still. I was enjoying this more than I wanted to admit. Her warm, soft body seem to fit next to mine, perfectly. Her small frame trembled when she peeked up where she _was_ standing. Her eyes cut to me. They were full of questions.

"I was right next to you," I insisted quietly. She hit her head…maybe I could convince this beautiful angel to believe me. It was a long shot. The thought of this little lie made my stomach twist with displeasure.

It was a windy, overcast day. A sudden gale of wind brought Bella's tantalizing scent towards me and my throat burned and my stomach did another twist internally. I held my breath, cutting off my lungs from the sweet air passageway. It felt uncomfortable, but it was possible. I forced myself to smile. I will not kill Bella Swan. I can't.

"No you weren't," Bella quitely insisted. I saw a mix of emotions quickly fly across her face: confusion, surprise, and grateful. "But that's okay."

Huh? What was with Bella and her cryptic comments? A small secret smile pulled at the corners of her lips.

I like I had room to talk. I speak in riddles just as much. But I have a good reason. I am a vampire. I harbor a deadly secret. I cannot ever give in. I cannot ever let my guard down.

The medics tried to get me to go to the hospital, but I insisted that I was fine. To my complete horror, Bella insisted that she was fine also.

"I'm fine," she said to a blond woman wearing a dark blue cap, one of the medics. "See? I'm standing. I'm not dizzy." One of the medics frowned at this. "Edward was standing next to me. He pulled me out the way. There was no place to go but under the truck." She looked up at me as if to confirm her story. I gave tight smile in response. I still didn't trust myself to take a breath.

Bella started to walk away from the scene, dragging me with her.

What? _Bella _dragging _me_?

Once we were away from the crowd, she pulled at my arm. She was really strong, but that wasn't the reason I gave in to her unspoken command.

"You hit your head," I said giving up some of my air to talk. For some reason, I felt protective towards this human girl.

"I can't go to the hospital," Bella insisted with a stubborn tone, as if she were a kitten that thought it was a tiger. In Bella, I saw a stubborn, fragile human who refused to shy away from me. Her reactions did disturb me.

Shouldn't she be scared of me?

Why does it seem like she is fascinated by me?

Why am I fascinated by her?

Why is she _doing_ this to me?

"Yes you can," I said.

"I'm not going, and you can't make me," Bella said.

**_Bella_**

"I'm not going, and you can't make me," I said. As much as it hurt to turn away from Edward, I forced myself to do just that. I walked away from Edward, and as soon as I out of eyesight, I ran faster than any human could.

Looking back, I made sure no one saw me. I figured Charlie would be here soon. _Sorry to leave a big mess for you to clean up Charlie._ I closed my eyes for a moment. Even now, I closed my eyes, wincing as my past blasted me.

Races with Marc, Jace, and Ethan, being one the boys. Ryan deserting our family, and then betraying Faythe. My eyes had been forced open to this thought.

I tried not to think about any of it. I tried not to think of the humans I hated because of their trivial thoughts. They took their lives for granted. Jessica and Mike particularly got on my nerve. Why? It didn't made sense. They had everything, anyone could ever dream of. And then a small inner voice whispered the answer. _They were normal._

You have to understand, I tend to get restless from time to time. I leave my thoughts stranded. My mind is a desert, and I am lost at sea. I am trapped in a world that I do not understand and this is what I was given: paws. I love it, sometimes more than I should. I love the thrill of hunting, as painful as shifting is. It is, in a way, meditation.

Marc is a stray. Don't get me wrong, we all love him. None of us treated him as a stray. When he was fourteen, a vicious were-cat killed his mom. Marc got in the way, trying to defend his mom, and the were-cat scratched Mac's chest through his paper-thin t-shirt.

Not all humans make it through scratch fever. Most die. Those who survive are ostracized by the cat world, they must stay in the free zones. They are social outcasts. Their humanity was ripped from them, but they were not born were-cats. I have the genetics, but I am not stubborn. My father took Marc in. I was a really young at the time; Faythe was a little older. Sometimes we forget that Marc is a stray. We didn't treat him like a stray. We treated him like he is a genetic were-cat. Even though I don't love him, I do miss him. I wanted someone to look at me he would look at Faythe. I hope she comes to her senses soon.

Living here I had taste of his pain. I was never ostracized, but here in Forks, I feel that way. But this is my choice, and I don't regret it. This is my independence streak, my rebellion. Sometimes I miss my family. Sometimes I miss my Pride (A/N: Pride is the same thing as Pack but cats use Pride).

The next day was sunny. The weather was too nice out to surpass a chance to sneak away in my cat form. I'm sure Charlie won't care if I skip school one day. After what happen yesterday, I know he would understand. That was if he even found out. What he didn't know will not hurt me. Charlie isn't a curious cat. That's probably why he's safer than most of the toms I know.

I stared out my window and watch the reds, oranges, and yellows collide. Even today, I am mesmerized by every sunrise. Here in Forks I wanted to see every sunrise. The constant rain would block out the radiant beauty of the sun.

I climbed out of bed and pried my old window open with my long strong finger nails. I jumped out of my second story window and landed in a crouch.

My lithe limbs practically buried in tall, wet, itchy green grass. I snickered to myself. It rained too much in Forks. Even on a sunny day it was still wet. It was hard mow the grass in the rain.

Today feels different. I can sense it deep in my bones. Something will happen today. Something is changing in the air. I can sense it. Feel it. I don't know what, and I don't know how. Maybe I was just fooling myself. I think the same thing almost every day. "Something's going to change," I would say, but nothing ever does. Today feels different this morning, almost off. Or like a dream you know you had, but can't remember.

I love what I am. I love being a were-cat. Never doubt that. I am not a lost runaway. I am not in Forks to shelter myself from the weird. I do not wish I was human, most of the time. I hate humans. No, that's not right either. I love my fur and I'm damn fond of my claws and my freedom.

I realized that I was still wearing my pajamas. It was 6 a.m. in the morning. Reluctantly, I climbed back up the wall and slipped through my open window. I scrambled back into my room and sighed. I wish I didn't have to stay with Charlie. It would be cool to live in the forest, in my cat form….

…the wild calls me. It sings to me. When I was little, I was a wild child. I still am a wild child. The only difference is, I'm not a child. I'm seventeen. Time passes slowly, sitting in my bedroom reading one of my favorite novels, _Tess of D'Urbervilles_ by Thomas Hardy. I have read it fifty-some times and it never gets old. I pick up the warn-out, over read paperback and read the lyrical passages fondly, anticipating the bittersweet end. Death, oh death. Everything ends in death. I smile, accepting who I am, what I am. I am an animal, and animals die.

"Good morning, Charlie," I say, running down the stairs, smiling. It is 7 a.m. I open the starch white refrigerator and find myself holding a stale bagel. I would much rather eat a wild deer. I put the bagel back and grab a raspberry yogurt. The shift is painful, and takes a lot of energy – if I want to hunt today, then I can't skip breakfast. Ironic, huh?

"How are you finding Forks High school so far?" Charlie asks.

"Its fine," I say, sitting down at the round dark oaken table, taking the silver seal off of my yogurt. I sprint to the silverware drawer to grab a spoon and then I feast on my yogurt – a prelude to a bigger feast. I think about the unknown. I smile. It has been too long, too long.

Today is going to be _fun_.


	3. The Hunt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. I don't own the were-cats. Rachel Vincent does. The were-cat characters come from the Shifter Series.**

**A/N: This story has been adopted from Darkdefender89. Thank you. **

**A/N: Alice can't see Bella because she's not, and has never been, a were-cat.**

**3.**

_Bella_

I put the "Thing" into reverse and backed out of the driveway. As I drove, I turned the radio was on, but I was not really listening. Other things were taking over my mind, slowly conquering me, turning me into a person I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to be.

I drove on, listening intently to the austere blend of the harsh wind and the music drumming in the background. I wanted to close down, but I couldn't. I was driving. I let the music flow into my ears, allowing myself to analyze this new desire that was invading my body.

The voice on the radio said, "_Bend me, break me, anyway you need me, all I want is you._" I recognized the song – "Paranoid," by Garbage – a song I usually found annoying. For some odd, unexplainable reason, I found myself liking the song.

After the song was over, another one replaced. It was slower and nauseating. I changed the station and sped up. Driving fast cleared my head, or at least it gave me the illusion of a clear head. The radio said, _"I want to scream, it makes me feel alive."_ I sang along with the voice of Avril on the radio. _ "I'd rather be anything but ordinary please. To walk with in the lines would make my life so boring. I want to know that I have been to the extremes."_ I swerved on the road, this was frustrating. I changed the channel.

I don't want to be extraordinary. I am, and it's annoying. At least, I _think _that this is what I want. I slowed down and concentrated on driving safely. I was pretending that I was just a normal girl. That was why I moved to Forks, right? Why did I feel like something else was pulling the strings? That I'm not the one sitting in the front seat steering my car away from my safety line?

Who am I kidding? When have I ever had a safety line? The voice on the radio said, "_I can see that you got other plans for tonight, but I don't really care. Tick-tock, no time to rest. Let them say what they want to say but tonight, I just don't really care. Come on baby we ain't gonna live forever, let me show you all the things that we could do. I know you want to be together and I want to spend the night with you, yeah, yeah, with you. Come with me tonight, we could make the night last forever."_ I smiled. For some reason the lyrics of the Veronicas' new song made me think of Edward.

It was time to admit to myself that I was attracted to Edward. No, calling what I feel for Edward an "attraction" is an insult to my real feelings. There was so many. I am…fascinated by Edward. I am drawn to him. Something about him pulls me in. I am a cat, I can't just _ignore_ it.

Pushing the thoughts out of my mind, I speed up. My eyes widen when I finally reach the edge of the forest. Smiling, I forget everything. The woods sing to my bones, and I feel my limbs shiver. They ache with the need to shift. The ache comes from the lure of sprinting across the forest and climbing the trees. I couldn't wait to feel the leaves brushing by my black fur, or to be hidden by in with the leaves of the tree. Then I would pounce, landing on an unsuspecting deer, and devour his flesh. A small purr escaped my lips at this thought. It had been ages since I had eaten a fresh meal. Well, maybe not _ages, _but it felt like it.

I haven't shifted since I arrived at Forks. Honestly, I could tell you that it is making me _insane. _Pushing my fantasy out of my head, I parked my truck on the side of the road and unbuckle my seat-belt. I was excited about the prospect of making my fantasy become an unbridled reality.

I turned the engine off and stepped out of my truck, slamming the door behind me. I stared with awe at the tall trees. It was a maze of wild life just waiting for me. It was my instinct to explore.

I slinked into the forest and slipped off my red satin shirt. My lacy black bra came off next, then my torn, gray Forever 21 jeans. I bent down, untying my shoelaces. I take my shoes off, throwing them behind me with a force no human could ever be capable of. I chuckled; relieved that today was not a day that humans decided to hike in the forest. I'll find them later. I take off my socks first, then my black lacy panties.

I closed my eyes and meditate, willing the shift. I allowed the cat inside me to take over. My bones began to shift. If I hadn't been doing this since I was ten years old, I would have winced from the throbbing pain that spread throughout my body. My chin ached as my jaw lengthened. My canines grew, piercing my changing body. I will the change to continue. Soon, the shift arrived at the point where most were-cats couldn't reverse it if they wanted to. I forced a smile. A couple minutes later, I stretched my new body, adjusting myself to my new bones. I adjusted myself to the vivid view of the forest that my cat eyes allowed me to see.

I took off in a sprint. I was enjoying myself and observing my surroundings. I smell water in the distance. My cat ears picked up the sound of water gurgling. I could hear the fish underneath the water playing with each other. I wondered what it would be like to be a fish. At the same time, I am very glad I am a cat. I sprinted in the direction of the sound of the water.

We as cats hunt with our ears. Dogs, they hunt with their noses. I may have an enhanced sense of smell, but I could not track based on scent alone, even if my life depended on it. I grinned, my sharp, white teeth exposed. I placed my left paw in the water. I loved the sensation. I bent down and grabbed one of the little fishes with my mouth. It a russet colored fish with a blackish brown stripe. I purred and bit down on the fish's flesh, swallowing it whole.

I stepped out of the stream and ran. I remembered that back at home, I beat my brothers and cousins every time we had a race. Faythe was the only one who could beat me, and even _she_ lost, sometimes.

I surrendered my senses to the forest. Today was about relaxation. Today was about drowning my emotions. I wanted to let the carnal cat part of me run free. Cats hate being caged. To me, that's what human society was, a cage. I was here to take time off. This was a vacation from being all too observant. There wasn't anything in this forest that could harm me.

I climbed up a large broad leafed tree and pounced onto a dark green bush. I extended my paws and experimented with the sensation. I was exploring, I wasn't thinking. I didn't recognize anything out of the ordinary. That's was why I didn't recognize an unusual scent, something that should have alarmed me. I wasn't completely there. I was at the point of no return, lost in the sensation.

I was playing in a patch of tall grass, when the forest went silent. I swatted at a fly and looked around. _What was out of place?_

I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was too fast for me to do anything about it. It was something tall. A pale figure rushed towards me. He leaped cat-like, pouncing onto my back with such ferocity that I should have realized that he wasn't human.

In my panic, I didn't wanting to reveal myself to humans. My sister Faythe was threatened with death. I knew that the tribunal court would not be lenient just because I'm a tabby.

When his rock hard body collided with my black, furry body, I could actually feel the impact. My instincts woke up. His cold hands gripped my neck. He bent his head down towards my neck with a wild sense of abandonment and bit into me. Instinctively, I swatted my paw at him without thinking of unsheathing my claws. A burning pain gripped my body, like liquid hot burning lead. I was in too much pain to even think about defending myself. Trying to preserve the life of my attacker was the furthest thing from my mind.

Before I could swat him a second time, I twisted my body out of his grip. What I saw alarmed me. I saw the shocked face of Edward Cullen. His beautiful brownish-red hair, his golden eyes, his flawless cold hard skin, there was no way he could be human. I saw him slid to the ground after I wrestled free of his grip.

The burning pain increased. I didn't want to shift back in front of a human, but there was no way that Edward could be human. I didn't want to shift back, but the fiery pain that was coursing through my body was too much. The burning pain mixed, with the pain of the shift, and soon I found myself on the floor of the forest. I was naked and exposed, vulnerable.

"Oh god, what have I done," it was his voice I heard before blackness came for me.

**_Edward_**

It was a normal bright sunny day, or as normal a day could be for a vampire in the sun. Emmett, Rosalie, and I were going hunting. The sun was out today, so we couldn't go to school. Alice and Jasper chose to stay behind and enjoy each others' company, if you know what I mean.

We were standing by the car, talking.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Alice?" Emmett asked, grinning. Emmett always grins. If I didn't know better, I would say that that grin of Emmett's was frozen onto that bulky face of his.

"I'm sure," Alice replied, sounding like she was singing. Then again, Alice always sounded like she was singing. All of us did, of course, but Alice did more than the rest of us.

"Hurry up, Emmett," Rosalie said, peering into the car window, trying to get a glimpse her reflection in the tainted glass. Of course, we could just run to the forest, but then humans would see us. We didn't want to expose the secret. Even if we could care less, and we do care, we couldn't risk anyone seeing us. Some way or another, the Volturi would find out, and the Volturi doesn't give second chances.

Soon the three of us were in my silver Volvo. I was driving. Alice and I are the ones with the built-in radar. Besides, I really like my car. The only other one that can touch her is Rose. She had turned it into a hell of a "sleeper". That was a car that looked normal but left most sports cars in the dust. I hit 110 miles per hour in seconds and well on my way. In no time, we had arrived at the end of a dirt road, somewhere the middle of the forest. We stepped out of the Volvo and ran into the forest, surrendering to our instincts.

We don't hunt side by side. Only mates can. Our vampire instincts would get in the way. We would end up fighting over the prey. It has happened before. Instinct demands that defend ones kill. So we parted ways and I start hunting.

I found a deer and snapped its neck before indulging in its lifeblood. I did that in order to minimize the poor creature's pain. The blood doesn't taste as good as grizzly bear blood, or _mountain lion _blood. Meat-eaters taste better. It would nice if I could find a mountain lion roaming the woods for me to feast on. But this was enough to temporarily satiate me. The deer fell to the ground and I stepped backwards and licked my blood soaked lips. I sniffed the air. It was the scent of a large cat, a couple miles south. I grinned. It wasn't a mountain lion, but it was close enough.

I hadn't hunted in two weeks. When one of my kind hunts, we become a slave to our instincts. I had surrendered to the hunt. If I hadn't been in hunter mode, I might have noticed a subtle difference in the cat's scent. I didn't notice any difference, though.

I sprinted in the direction of the cat's scent. Then without thinking, I pounced. It was a big black cat. I dug my fingernails into its fur and biting down on its neck. I wasn't surprised when the cat swatted at me, but I was surprised when I actually felt pain. The cat's claws actually broke through my hard, granite flesh.The cat twisted out of my grip and stared at me with wide, brownish yellow eyes.

_This is no ordinary cat._

Then the cat started changing. I was reminded of the Quileutes and my dead heart sank. A minute later, a naked human was lying on the ground, gripping her neck. I forced myself out of hunting mode, both shocked and utterly repulsed at myself for the act I had just committed.

No, not just any ordinary human. _Bella Swan._

I fell to my hands and knees on stared at that beautiful girl on the forest floor. _I should have noticed something different about her scent,_ I scolded myself. I knew I was a monster, but I had never felt like such a despicable creature before.

I felt the instinct to hold her and protect her, but I was dangerous. The pull I had felt at school was intensified. _Mine._ Where the hell did that come from?

"Oh God, what have I done." She must hate me. I want her to hate me.

_Were-cat._

Vampire venom is poisonous to the Quileutes werewolves. But they aren't really a normal werewolf. Is Bella going to die, outside of the ordinary connotation of the transformation that I equate to mean death?

I place my hand on her face, wanting to take away her misery, to take away the burning pain I know she is suffering through right now. I pulled her into my lap.

It took me a moment to find my voice again. "I'm so sorry, so sorry. I'm so sorry." I repeated it, in a mantra. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a small part of me noticed that something was wrong. It took a minute for me to realize what was wrong. My arm hurt like hell. It was a throbbing pain in my left arm.

I brushed it away as something I deserved. I deserved it. I was a despicable creature. Bella will probably kill me, and I will happily let her. I want to die. I cannot forgive myself for such a despicable act. I should have been more careful. I should have noticed that she was a were-cat. Of course, I had no way of knowing that were-cats exist, but in my self-hatred and my guilt, I did not follow that logic. Just because I didn't know didn't make the act any less wrong.

That was how Rosalie and Emmett found me, sitting cross-legged with Bella's head resting on my leg. My right hand was stroking her face; her naked body was curled up in a fetal position. What they assumed, they had every right to assume.

"How could you?" Rosalie screeched. "Now we're going to have to move, and I was finally in my senior year? How could you take away her humanity? Bella, the chief police's daughter? Have you lost your MIND? And why is she naked? _What did you do_, Edward?"

I stared at the ground, counting the blades of grass. I was drowning in guilt and misery at the loss of this girl's humanity. I did not try to refute Rosalie's claims. She was wrong. Of course, I did not have sex with Bella. But what else could they assume, seeing a naked girl clutching her neck, already in the throes of the transformation…or her death. I didn't know what was better, the Change or human death. At the prospect of Bella leaving this earth my heart screamed, _Not her! Please, not her! _She couldn't die. No. Were-cats have to be different from werewolves. No, no, no, no. To an outsider, I probably looked catatonic, since vampires can't cry.

"Cat….were-cat…" I whispered, picking up Bella's limp body.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"She was a cat. Why didn't I notice anything different about her scent? I should have known," I whispered, shifting my feet back and forth, completely absorbed by my self-hatred.

"How could you have known?" Emmett said, trying to reassure me. They believed me, of course, because, except for Carlisle, I had the most self-control out of my entire family. That didn't make me feel any better, though. It made me feel worse.

I realized that my left arm was aching, which made it a tiny bit hard to carry Bella, but I didn't care. Like I said, I deserved it. Emmett, of course, noticed.

"Your arm," Emmett said, a tad bit panicked (outside of the obvious panic that is called for during this sort of situation). "There's a claw mark on it," he said.

I shrugged. "I deserve it," I whispered, not looking into his eyes.

"Let me carry her, at least," Emmett said.

I shook my head, finding myself not wanting to trust Emmett, besides the fact that he's my brother and I usually trust him.

"Let's take her to the car. I'll call Alice and she can bring Bella an outfit," Emmett said.

**_Rosalie_**

Knowing the truth didn't make it better. I know Edward. The two of us came to understanding about 6 decades ago. My anger, it tends runs cold. I am still calm, but seething.

Normally it is because of Emmett or Jasper, which we would have to move. Edward never has slipped up before. There is no way we would be able to stay here; we would still have to move. Did that mean Charlie was too? With Charlie being a were-cat, though, that changed things. That meant that there were new rules to this old game. Change had come to our peaceful coven. Change was something I hated.

I watched Edward carry Bella to the car. He treated her like homespun glass. He took his t-shirt off and draped over her. He was hovering over her to hide her naked body from the public eye. Stressed to the max and still a perfect gentleman.

Emmett and I followed close behind. Emmett dug into the trunk of Edward's car and grabbed a gray blanket. He tossed it towards Edward, who covered Bella with the blanket. He then placed Bella gently into the back seat of the car and, almost like a zombie, entered the front seat of the car.

"I should drive. You look too upset," Emmett said as we got in the car. Thanks, Emmett. I still have to sit in the back seat with the bleeding girl. Edward shook his head no.

On the way home, Emmett called Alice on his cell phone. She was for obvious reasons, very frustrated that she hadn't seen this coming. She blamed herself for the recent turn of events.

"I don't know what vampire venom does to were-cats," Edward whispered. "Remember how the Quileutes said that vampire venom is fatal to a werewolf?"

"Don't worry," Emmett said. "Were-cats aren't werewolves."

But all of us were still worried. Edward drove faster. He was in a hurry to get Bella to Carlisle. Carlisle always seemed to have the answers. Carlisle may not know what had to be done, but he had the most level head in the bunch. He would make sure everything would be okay. He would make sure everything would works out. Or in the least, the best it can in this situation.

Sucking the venom out hadn't been a possibility at the time. Edward was still to on edge. His hunting instincts were too close to the surface. Bella was his singer on top of that. Bella's body probably started to absorb the venom during the shift back to her human form.

I couldn't help but think about how I had found Emmett. I had felt a pull the day I had found him. Something had made my feet travel over a hundred mile that day, only to find him mauled by a bear and dying at my feet. I had killed the bear, and then scoped up Emmett and brought him home. I had to then beg Carlisle to change him. Emmett had been made to be my mate.

I glanced at Edward in the front seat. He was one icy breath away from panic. I want to be mad at him. I still am. But I understand. You're not off the hook, but I'll keep my tongue, _for now._

Edward showed no indication that he had heard me. I didn't need Jasper to tell that he was too absorbed in his guilt. I was willing to bet that he had not stop to consider another potential difference between werewolves and were-cats. If one of Quileutes had raked with their claws, it would have hurt like hell. But it would healed by now. _Edward, what have you done?_


End file.
